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Is it ok to add cottage cheese to my dogs dry food?
I have a Golden-doodle about 1 1/2 yrs old. She is a wonderful companion and gives us so much pleasure. I feed her a high quality natural dry dogfood (many different brands), but she just picks at it all day, then usually leaves alot of it. She will eat most of it if I add cottage cheese or sometimes leftover vegetables. I am concerned that the cottage cheese on a daily basis may be too much protein. I give her 4% milkfat cottage cheese. I add 2 heaping tbl spoons to her dry food. She weighs about 55 lbs and looks pretty good at that weight or maybe just a pound or so more. She is not a dog that will eat people food very well and doesn't beg usually. She will eat meat if offered, but other than that, not much. She just seems so picky and doesn't go after her food voratiously like so many other dogs I know. Thanks
I have a Golden-doodle about 1 1/2 yrs old. She is a wonderful companion and gives us so much pleasure. I feed her a high quality natural dry dogfood (many different brands), but she just picks at it all day, then usually leaves alot of it. She will eat most of it if I add cottage cheese or sometimes leftover vegetables. I am concerned that the cottage cheese on a daily basis may be too much protein. I give her 4% milkfat cottage cheese. I add 2 heaping tbl spoons to her dry food. She weighs about 55 lbs and looks pretty good at that weight or maybe just a pound or so more. She is not a dog that will eat people food very well and doesn't beg usually. She will eat meat if offered, but other than that, not much. She just seems so picky and doesn't go after her food voratiously like so many other dogs I know. Thanks
Is it ok to add cottage cheese to dry dog food on a daily basis.
doggylover, personally I wouldn't do it. I have known some vets to recommend a very little bit of cottage cheese mixed with other ingredients for specific problems, but never as part of a regular diet. Any milk products for dogs, in general, is not a good idea. They don't digest it well.
Believe it or not, there really are some dogs who don't inhale their food as soon as it is served! LOL. They will just pick at it all day long if allowed to. You seem to have one of those. If her weight appears good, then please don't worry. She is eating what she requires to sustain herself. If you are feeding her more than 2 cups of dry chow a day, then you are feeding her too much and that is why she is picking at her food. I don't know what your routine is, but you should be feeding her 1 cup of chow in the morning, and 1 cup in the late afternoon/early evening, depending on your schedule. Dogs generally are hungrier at the end of the day after they have been active, then in the morning after they wake up.
There was an article in Parade magazine of all places regarding what you should not feed your pets (written by a veteranary professor) Cheese was on the list-the basic recommendation was to stick to what the store has specifically for pets-RubyPitBull is absolutely right according to not only this article, but to my own vet, as well.
Doggylover if you go down to the 3rd paragraph it will talk about feeding foods other than dog food and what the aspca reccommends & the amount allowed. Also you need to bring up your concerns to your vet and get his take on the situation. Afterall you want your dog to be happy & healthy but not obese. ASPCA: Dog Care
It looks to me like the ASPCA has been taken over by the food kooks. Yes, I am going to take the stand that the ASPCA is wrong! I wonder where their information comes from? I know where my information comes from.
Suppose you knew a breeder that bred hundreds of dogs a year, mostly Labs, Shepherds, and Goldens. They provided all the medical care for most of them the first year. At the end of it, they did a complete physical including hip X-rays on all of them. They then spent $35,000 training them before giving them away. They have a large data base of breeding records. Dogs with any physical or temperamental problems are unfit for the program and are a waste. Their well equipped clinic and vet staff are available for serious problems as long as the dog is working. When the dog is no longer able to work, it is replaced at again the $35,000 plus a large emotional upheaval for the person depending on the dog. They have experimented with different diets and exchanged data with other such breeders. Don't you think that what ever they are feeding is healthy and safe? What kinds of controlled studies do you think the ASPCA has done?
I have been raising puppies since 1991 for a large dog guide school that does exactly that. What do they feed? They instruct us to feed Pro Plan chicken and rice puppy chow until 4 months and then switch to adult Pro Plan chicken and rice. I know enough of the people with the trained dogs to know they continue the Pro Plan. The group I meet with monthly for training includes people that have raised puppies for 6 different service dog schools. Some of them are feeding other premium commercial chows including Iams and Eukanuba. Any dog owner wanting a healthy, long lived dog can make this regimen work, leaving more time to spend on the dog. It is also relatively economical.
I was answering the op's question. She needs to take this up with her vet. Her dog has to eat. It is up to her to see that her dog is healthy and happy. I can't see how a spoon of cottage cheese everyday is going to kill it. But I'm not a vet either , I do know not every dog devors their dog food. I have seen some that do and some that don't. I have also given this link out before. The Aspca has had this on their site for a long time.
Maybe you were answering the question, but I think you were dead wrong, just as many dogs are dead before their time, because they were bribed into eating too much. Perhaps a little cottage cheese isn't going to hurt a dog, but obesity will. It is extremely rare to need to bribe a healthy dog to eat more. I have collected information from sources I know are reliable in my sticky.
I have never seen any well substantiated information suggesting adding cottage cheese or anything else to a dog's diet is good. Not all posts are based on what somebody thinks based on their limited personal experience.
Think I am dead wrong about what? I also did not suggest anything based on my personal experience. Do not attack my post, I did nothing wrong! I did not tell her to feed her dog anything, I gave her a site and told her to talk with her vet.
Because my work is mostly with the Humane Society & not the ASPCA, I tend to use their web site along with the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association). Neither site gives any recommendations on cottage cheese or people food, except for the list of foods that are considered poisonous to a pet's system. That list always seems to be growing depending on how many negative medical reports are received by vets. I am a bit surprised by the ASPCA's recommendations. Dairy products have been medically proven to be upsetting to a dog's system. There are recent reports coming out from vets that speaks about all cheese products being very bad for a dog's system. So, I am starting to leave out the string cheeses that were recommended as part of the train/praise and/or treat process. I really don't think it is wise for any of us to be recommending any human foods as part of a dog's regular diet here. If nothing else, just from a legal perspective. This decision really is best left up to the individual's vet who knows the dog best.
doggylover, I should have noticed that you stated you switch off dry foods a lot. I know it can be frustrating, but you need to stick with one chow. In a sense, you are catering to your dog's finickiness about eating. If her weight appears correct for her size, then she is eating what she needs to maintain her health. She won't starve herself. Pick one dry chow and stick with it. If you are standing over her and/or watching her to make sure she is eating, step out of the room and just leave her alone. Your curiousness or nervousness will affect her reaction to her food. She will eat if she is hungry. And, if you are really worried, give your vet a call and speak to him/her about portions and recommendations. Vets rarely, if ever, charge for phone calls.
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